Chapter 169: Jungle Blood Battle: The Eerie Attack of Mutant Demonic Beasts

The protective barrier inside Stone Hall stabilized, and that oppressive pressure that felt like it could crush bones was finally blocked outside.

Li Hu and Zhang Mei almost simultaneously collapsed onto the ground, like two fish out of water, gasping heavily, sweat soaking their backs, their faces growing worse by the moment.

"Old… old master, that old tortoise… that old thing left?" Li Hu supported his sword, his hand still trembling, his voice shaking as well.

Wang Shan didn't speak; he just stared at the strange, crazy world outside the barrier. Wan Tianxiong won't be able to get in for a while, but what about us? Staying here, what's the difference from waiting to get moldy?

This pitch-black barrier is sustained by the power of the jade slip; it will eventually run out. The poison on my grandson Wang Zhitao can't be delayed any longer, and that force inside me that occasionally wants to revolt is like a powder keg ready to explode.

"Left? You wish." Wang Shan withdrew his gaze, his voice devoid of warmth, "He's just temporarily lost his bearings; for all we know, he's somewhere flailing about like a headless fly. We can't stay holed up here."

Zhang Mei instinctively clutched the child in her arms, her face full of worry: "But outside… outside those things…"

She didn't finish her sentence, but that fear was obvious to everyone. The danger of this damned place might not be any less than that old monster Wan Tianxiong.

"So that's why we need to go out and scout." Wang Shan stood up, casually stretching his limbs. Spiritual power circulated through his meridians, immediately sending a fine, needle-like prickling sensation.

He didn't even frown, forcibly suppressing that discomfort.

"Li Hu, Zhang Mei, you two come with me." He looked at the two, leaving no room for doubt, "Zhizhe, you stay behind, watch over the younger siblings. No matter what you hear, even if the sky falls, you're not to leave this circle—understood?"

Wang Zhizhe's little face tensed up as he nodded firmly: "Grandfather, rest assured!"

Wang Shan patted his shoulder, said nothing more, and uttered a single word to Li Hu and the two: "Go."

The three stepped out of the black light barrier in one stride, feeling like they'd emerged from water only to plunge into boiling oil.

The ground beneath their feet was dark red, soft and slightly elastic, making a soft "pupu" sound with each step, as if stepping on the innards of some living creature. The sweet, cloying smell in the air grew stronger, mixed with the sour stench of rotting plants and blood, making them feel inexplicably irritated as they inhaled it.

"Old master, this damned place… truly evil." Li Hu gripped his great sword, eyes locked on the bizarre, misshapen plants around them.

Some trees grew like twisted hands, wildly reaching for the sky; some vines bore strings of eyeball-like fruits that, as they approached, had pupils that slowly turned to stare straight at them.

Wang Shan didn't even look at those things; his spiritual sense was heavily suppressed here, extending at most twenty or thirty feet—practically blind.

"Stay close, stay sharp."

The three formed a triangle formation, Wang Shan in the lead, carefully feeling their way deeper into the jungle.

They hadn't gone far when a sudden rustling sound came from the dense forest ahead, like a group of heavy objects scraping the ground at high speed.

Li Hu drew his sword with a swish: "What the hell is that?"

No sooner had he spoken than several massive beasts came staggering out of the strange tree grove.

They looked somewhat like wild boars, but larger than oxen, hairless, with smooth bodies covered in a layer of bluish-black keratin, on which naturally formed chaotic runes flickered with an ominous red light. Their eyes were pure scarlet, devoid of any reason, filled only with primal savagery and hunger.

"Holy shit, what monster is this?" Li Hu couldn't help cursing.

He had barely finished cursing when those few monsters spotted the three living beings.

"Roar!"

Without a word or any probing, the monsters' hooves flew, shaking the ground with a dull thunder as they charged straight at them.

"Be careful!" Wang Shan shouted low, pouring all his Foundation Establishment-stage spiritual power into his right fist.

He didn't use any fancy techniques—just the simplest, most direct punch.

Bang!

The monster at the front took his solid punch squarely on the forehead; its bone, harder than stone, caved in a large chunk instantly. Its massive body flew sideways like a torn sack, smashing through several twisted monster trees before stopping.

But the remaining monsters didn't even blink; one of them suddenly opened its blood‑filled maw and spat a stream of dark‑green liquid.

That liquid gave off a stench strong enough to make one faint; even before it reached them, the air hissed as if being burned through.

Wang Shan tapped his foot and his whole body floated away like a leaf, narrowly dodging the poisonous spray.

The dark‑green liquid splashed onto the ground; the dark‑red earth instantly corroded as if hit with concentrated sulfuric acid, bubbling and smoking in a large pit.

"This poison is too overpowering!" Li Hu's eyelids twitched as he watched.

"Don't just stand there like a log—attack!" Wang Shan's voice came coldly.

Li Hu and Zhang Mei shuddered, reacted instantly, and advanced from left and right. Li Hu swung his great sword with full force, striking a monster's back; all that rang out was a crisp "ding," sending up a shower of sparks and leaving only a faint white mark.

"Damn, the hide is thick!"

The monster, feeling pain, didn't dodge but lunged upward with its body, launching Li Hu into the air to crash heavily to the ground.

On the other side, Zhang Mei's movements were agile; her short sword aimed for the monsters' eyes, mouth, and nose, but could only harass them, unable to inflict any vital injury.

Each of these creatures had roughly the strength of late-stage Qi Refining; the key was their thick skin and flesh, and their utter disregard for death.

Seeing this, Wang Shan knew he couldn't delay any longer.

He crossed his hands and unleashed a Splitting Stone Hand; the spiritual power of his Foundation Establishment stage instantly condensed into a massive azure palm print that slammed solidly onto a monster's back.

Thud!

The monster let out a short wail; its incredibly hard back plating was smashed to pieces, flesh and blood blurred, its massive body twitched a few times before falling still.

Just as he was about to finish off another with ease, his inner spiritual power suddenly stalled.

An indescribably violent, chaotic force surged like a burst flood, rushing up his meridians in reverse. His head buzzed as if millions of demonic beasts were roaring simultaneously, trying to scramble his brains into mush.

Damn, backlash!

The fierce battle had ultimately triggered the aftereffects of the Ten Thousand Beasts Reversal.

Wang Shan let out a muffled grunt from his throat, his vision even doubled for a moment, and his movements slowed by a beat.

It was exactly that momentary opening that a monster lunged up to him, its foul‑smelling maw aiming for his head and biting down.

"Old master!" Zhang Mei's voice cracked.

Wang Shan's eyes instantly cleared, but it was already too late to dodge. He steeled himself, deciding not to evade, and with his other hand gathered spiritual power, prepared to endure some injury if it meant killing the beast.

【Detected host spiritual meridians showing anomaly risk; consume 5,000 Spirit Plant Points to exchange and ingest a Third‑Tier Clear Heart Pill?】

"Exchange! Now! Immediately!" Wang Shan nearly roared in his mind.

As soon as the thought formed, a cold pill appeared in his mouth out of nowhere, instantly turning into a cool stream that rushed through his limbs and bones. The violent force surging inside him, as if meeting its nemesis, was instantly suppressed.

The blocked spiritual power flowed again!

A cold gleam flashed in Wang Shan's eyes; the hand that had been ready to trade injury for life instantly changed tactic—fingers hooked like claws, striking first with lightning speed, he plunged them straight into the monster's eye sockets and then twisted viciously.

Pfft!

Red and white, splashed all over him.

The monster didn't even have time to let out a miserable cry before its huge body crashed to the ground.

Having dealt with two, the rest became much easier. Wang Shan charged into the pen like a real tiger, relying on the absolute strength of Foundation Establishment, his fists and palms flying; in just a few breaths, he knocked down the remaining monsters.

After the battle ended, Li Hu clutched his chest where he'd been hit, and together with Zhang Mei they came over.

"Sir, are you... are you alright?" Li Hu looked at Wang Shan; that blow just now truly frightened him half to death.

"I won't die." Wang Shan waved his hand, his gaze falling on the monster corpses littering the ground, wondering what he was thinking.

He walked over to the monster he had killed with Splitting Stone Hand, lifted his foot, and stomped, crushing its skull.

Amid the shattered skulls and sticky brain matter lay a fist-sized crystal, entirely blood-red and faintly glowing, resting quietly there.

Wang Shan bent down, reached out and picked it up. The crystal felt warm in his hand, as if red light flowed slowly inside.

【Detected 'Impure Beast Source Crystal Core', containing chaotic beast source energy, recoverable.】

【Recover? Estimated to yield 350 Spirit Plant Points.】

Three fifty?

Wang Shan quickly did the math in his head. That Clear Heart Pill earlier had cost him five thousand points. At this rate, killing fifteen or sixteen of these monsters would recoup the expense.

This business... seems doable!

Moreover, beast source energy? This thing is probably the source of all power in this damned place.

"What are you standing around for?" Wang Shan tossed the crystal core to Li Hu. "Go, dig these things out of every monster's head, and don't miss a single one!"

"Ah? Oh, yes!"

Li Hu and Zhang Mei were completely bewildered, not knowing what this thing was for, but they immediately got to work, forcing back their nausea as they rummaged through the foul-smelling brain matter.

Soon, seven or eight crystal cores of various sizes were collected in Wang Shan's hands.

【All recovered, totaling 2,980 Spirit Plant Points.】

Watching the numbers on the system panel jump back to life, the gloom in Wang Shan's heart instantly dissipated by half.

With income, there's nothing to fear.

He lifted his gaze once more toward this dead-silent jungle, his eyes now completely changed.

Just moments ago, he saw this place as deadly danger at every turn, killing intent lurking every step. But now, looking again, those strangely shaped trees and the monsters lurking in the darkness... they all looked like walking Spirit Plant Points.

"These things aren't like the demonic beasts outside." Wang Shan stroked his chin, muttering to himself, "Their power is tied to this land. They're tough to kill, but not impossible."

He suddenly realized that to survive here, and even thrive, merely hiding was useless.

He had to take the initiative, figure out the rules of this place, and even... exploit them.

"Pursuit? That old bastard Wan Tianxiong trying to find me in this damned place—no way it'll be that easy."

But I, on the other hand, can first pile up enough capital here to wrestle with him before he even finds me!

"Let's go, keep heading deeper." Wang Shan gave the order to the still-dazed Li Hu and Zhang Mei, his voice brimming with an indescribable excitement, "Today we'll grind monsters for points right here!"